I have
read a moment ago that the obligatory reading list for the Polish language
classes have been changed for both primary and middle school. The changes will
be liked by some and criticized by others, normal thing. I don’t intend to
argue here with anybody’s decisions. I would like to use the decision of the
Polish Ministry of Education to think about reading in general, to think about
reading as a process and how this process can be encouraged or discouraged.
Getting
Into Reading
We are
surrounded by text. There is always something to read, every step we take:
labels on boxes, signs in the streets, headlines in newspapers, imprints on
clothes and books which are the ultimate celebration of text. Text is
omnipresent. Children are naturally curious, so I can imagine that when I was a
child I couldn’t wait to start reading, to be like these adults around me who
read. Unfortunately, I can’t remember
that but as children imitate adults, I assume that I wanted to read as well
when I saw people around me reading. And I did see people reading around me –
my brothers obsessed with Ludlum and Clancy, my dad re-reading Sienkiewicz’s
‘Trilogy’ for twentieth time, my mom reading contemporary Polish authors. My
home was full of books and not only did they decorated shelves but also they
were put into their use and were read. It was only natural for me, I think,
that I wanted to read when everybody around me did it. I wanted to have access
to this written on paper world. Now, of course I had somebody who taught me how
to put letters together into words, then words into sentences. It was my mom
who read to me. At the age of 5 I was quite an accomplished reader, and an avid
one as well. It didn’t happen because I was extra smart. It happened because I
have very good assistance and I was well motivated to do it.
I hear
many people complain about their children not reading. They will say their
children are lazy, that they choose TV reading, that they choose computers over
books and so on. I am sick and tired of these adults who put the blame on
children without reflecting for a while upon their own reading. Reading is a
habit and children need to get into this habit early in their lives. They will get into it through the positive
assistance and encouragement from parents. As children imitate the significant
adults around them, they will observe if books are read at home and by whom,
and if they conclude from adults’ attitude that reading is a useless activity,
they will probably not want to read. It’s then not enough to tell a kid that
reading is good and send them off with a book. No! A kid has to see that an
adult reads as well. If an adult says that reading is important and then I
never see this adult doing what they say is of value, I will think what the
adult says is important really isn’t because they don’t do it. So, before
cursing children for not reading, I would encourage adults to check and see if
somehow they don’t prefer a game of Angry Birds or a Facebook session over some
time with a book.
Reading
at School
I will reach
to my experience at University to share few thoughts about reading at school. In
my second year of studying at department of the English language, among other
obligatory courses I had to take were the two in the British and American
literature. The American literature one I will not forget. And I will remember
it not because I enjoyed it so much. In the first lecture we were presented
with a reading list – books that the knowledge of would be later checked in the
exam. The list was scary to look at. It was so extensive! I can’t remember how many books exactly we
were supposed to read but the number was something crazy, I though. I didn’t
understand how I was supposed to read all of these literary works and remember
characters, plots, formulate opinions about problems presented in these books.
As I was a good student I read what was required of me minus maybe two – ‘Moby
Dick’ among them. I then went to a TEST, took the test, passed the test, and
that was that. Yes, we did have separate classes in which we would discuss some
of the books but these classes were very, very rare and didn’t satisfy me at
all. It was too fast and too much, as the situation was with some other courses
as well. There was no time to ponder, no time to immerse oneself and share this
immersion with other students. It did happen, yes, to seldom for the
university, though.
At schools
but also universities we don’t read books – we tick them off the reading list.
We present the knowledge of the content and we are rarely asked about our
opinions. Reciting is preferred – parrot style. There is no time for
discussion. Reading just for the sake of reading is not fun. It’s not fun just
like other things are not fun when we do and we don’t know why we do them. And
that’s what I believe also put off many learners from reading.
Why
Should I Read It?
When at
school, I rarely was told why I should read a book. I was told that it was
obligatory. Not good an explanation for many, including myself. Everybody wants
to know why they spend their time doing things. As a teacher in the
kindergarten I have to create a positive atmosphere around a topic, I need to
make my students want to learn and I need to tell them why what I am saying is
worth listening. It’s not always easy but I need to remember that they need a
reason to learn, to stay focused and interested. The same apply to any other
student of any other subject. Some of the students will be naturally interested
because they like a subjects, it’s their hobby or whatever. But there is the whole
group of kids who want to know why they are supposed to read what they are
supposed to read. A simple explanation that after having read this and that I
will be able to this and that and it will be useful in life because of this and
that or that after reading this and that I might discover or learn something
about myself or other people. I was not told by any of my teachers that even my
whole life can be changed through a medium of a book. There are greatly
influential books out there, aren’t there? No, I was not told that. Instead I
was waved with a reading list in from of my nose, a reading list I had to
process in order to pass an exam. That itself isn’t a reading habit shaping
incentive.
I am not
an expert. These are just my loose thoughts and observations. I have been
reading ever since I was five years old and I still take a great pleasure in
it. I had been developing this skill for many years, though, and I had a great
support from my relatives, friends to do so. I saw the habit of reading in action.
It deeply saddens me when I hear lamenting of teachers or parents about their
children not reading and not looking where they are with their habits and
attitudes towards reading. And it’s not about what the Ministry of Education
will put on or take off the obligatory reading list. It’s about how the habit
of reading is approached, encouraged or discouraged by educators, institutions
and homes.
An
Alternative Approach
To finish
on a lighter note - I know of a person who was bribed into reading. There was a time in his life when he didn’t
want to read no matter what support or incentive from adults around him. TV was
his thing. The a deal was struck. No TV for a year in return for a substantial
amount of money. It worked. Today the man watches stuff on TV, sure he does,
but also he feverishly endeavours even the most demanding literature. The habit was successfully created.
Brak komentarzy:
Prześlij komentarz